McGinn: Bigby Kicked the Ball a Second Time

Veteran Packer beat writer Bob McGinn noticed the same thing I did during the game on Monday night. Not only did Atari Bigby have an awful game in coverage and commit several boneheaded plays, he could have been called for a second delay of game penalty for kicking the ball. Here is what we wrote during the game: “What is the matter with him? Bigby was the victim of a very questionable pass interference call as he was covering Tony Scheffler. Then, just as he did minutes ago, he kicked the ball out of bounds. He’d just gotten flagged for that and scolded by McCarthy.”

And here is McGinn (Packer Insider, no link available): “Atari Bigby is becoming more and more of a liability in coverage with each passing game. He can’t cover a TE with any kind of talent from the slot, and with four penalties there are questions about his ability to play in big games. He kicked the ball once for a delay penalty and came close to doing it a second time even after McCarthy yanked him for a spell.”

Bigby has been a big addition to the Packers through seven games. Despite his lapses in pass coverage, and there have been many, he has brought an attitude to the defense that the Packers have lacked in the past. He is far better than Marquand Manuel — now a backup w/Carolina — but that’s not saying much.